Dexter Strickland has a pretty good idea of what North Carolina needs to do today against Washington to keep its season going.
Strickland isn't trying to take planning duties for the NCAA tournament game from coach Roy Williams, but he feels that a fast, strong start would set the tone the Tar Heels want and create at least a little doubt for the Huskies.
"You try to punch them in the mouth before they do it to you," Strickland said. "We want to get out first before they get out on us."
The third-round game of the East Regional, scheduled to tip off at 12:15 (WFMY Chs. 9, 110 and 1110) at Time Warner Cable Arena, will be a meeting of conference champions. North Carolina (27-7) won the ACC regular-season title and is the regional's No. 2 seed. Washington (24-10) won the Pac-10 tournament title and is the No. 7 seed.
The game will be only the second ever between the teams, and the winner will advance to this weekend's regional semifinals in Newark, N.J.
Williams and Strickland agree on one point: North Carolina will have to play better in almost every phase of the game than it did on Friday, when it had an up-and-down performance in a 102-87 win over Long Island.
Washington has height, averages 83.1 points a game and likes to set a fast pace behind Isaiah Thomas, a 5-foot-9 junior point guard who had 19 points and seven assists in Friday's 68-65 win against Georgia.
Williams said he considers Thomas one of the top point guards in the country.
"I love guards who can dictate the pace of the game and can change it even during the course of a game," Williams said. "He can play a halfcourt game and bother you, but he can play a full-court game and really bother you.
"He can hurt you in so many ways. He's a tough little nut, too."
Thomas said he loves nothing more than an opponent that likes to play the way the Huskies play. He has heard that the seats will be filled with Tar Heels fans but said he doesn't fear playing in front of a hostile crowd.
"I love it," Thomas said. "Our backs are against the wall. We have very few fans here. It feels like everybody's against us, like it's been all season, so it's nothing new.
"We're ready for it. It's the NCAA tournament. You've got no excuses."
Point guard Kendall Marshall of North Carolina will be matched against Thomas. Marshall is six inches taller, but Thomas has an 85-game edge in starting experience.
Strickland, considered the Tar Heels' top defensive guard but who is playing on an injured right knee, will also defend against Thomas.
"It will be a tough matchup," Williams said. "During the course of every basketball game, there is a one-on-one issue. He has an ability to penetrate the ball to the basket, but you have to stop that.
"If you don't stop that, he just breaks down your whole defense."
Coach Lorenzo Romar of Washington said he's concerned about North Carolina's height inside with Tyler Zeller, a 7-foot center, and John Henson, a 6-10 forward. The two teamed with forward Harrison Barnes to score 84 points against Long Island.
Romar said that the first thing a coach notices about North Carolina is the size it puts on the floor. It plays a pace that is slightly faster than Washington likes, and Romar said that the extra possessions will favor North Carolina.
"They are so good in transition," Romar said. "They not only get the ball up the floor, but they're very organized.
"You can have all five guys and still not stop them, because they're not just running. They're running with a purpose."
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